The story of the Trap serial killer is even more amazing after I realized this

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Trap (2024)

Summary

• A surprising twist in M. Night Shyamalan’s film
  Trap
  it’s the fact that there are no on-screen deaths in a serial killer thriller.
• Subverting audience expectations,
  Trap
  features a surprisingly low body count for a horror film.
• Shyamalan’s thriller shuns death, contrary to the typical theme of horror films and serial killers.

Director M. Night Shyamalan Trap It was a twisted thriller about a serial killer, but the tense plot of the horror film became much more surprising when I discovered a surprising element in its narrative. Trap is the latest film from divisive director M. Night Shyamalan. A psychological thriller set at a pop star’s concert, Trap stars Josh Hartnett as Cooper, a charismatic suburban father who secretly works as a sadistic serial killer nicknamed “The butcher.” Although the Butcher has long been getting away with his heinous crimes, the police have finally discovered his true identity and have set an elaborate trap.

Unfortunately for Cooper, that trap is the concert he’s attending with his teenage daughter. When Hartnett’s fast-paced villain realizes he’s been duped, he begins an elaborate game of cat-and-mouse with the police surrounding the stadium. TrapThe Butcher went backstage, took the pop star hostage, went home to his family, and almost escaped justice. However, his wife managed to drug Cooper, allowing the police to take him into custody. TrapThe post-credits scene suggests that The Butcher’s killing spree may not be over yet, but that’s not the biggest surprise in the film’s finale.

The entire story of the serial killer Trap takes place without anyone dying

Trap has a surprisingly low body count for a horror thriller.

Cooper is last seen smiling to himself in the back of a police van as he uses a stolen bicycle spoke to pick the lock on his handcuffs. It seems clear that Hartnett’s character will use his cunning to elude the police once again, but this final twist has made Trapthe number of victims surprises me even more. I almost couldn’t believe it Trap It’s a thriller with a serial killer with no deaths on screen. Cooper pushes a concertgoer down the stairs and burns another with fryer oil to create a diversion, but these characters do not die on screen.

No one actually dies during Trapthe story of, not even Hartnett’s villain. It’s quite unusual for a film about a serial killer, as I’m used to the horror subgenre boasting a rather impressive body count. Some of TrapMixed reviews have cited the film’s lack of blood as a problem, but that’s a typically subversive decision from a director whose output is defined by skirting audience expectations. For better or worse, M. Night Shyamalan always has a few tricks up his sleeve. As such, I shouldn’t be shocked that he managed to make a serial killer movie in which no one dies.

The lack of death in trap subverted the genre and Shyamalan’s expectations

Horror films and Shyamalan’s early efforts usually include deaths

Horror films in general, serial killer thrillers in particular, and early Shyamalan films in particular, all often involve death. Many of my favorite Shyamalan films, such as Signals AND The sixth sensefocused on the themes of life and death. So, Trap really subverts audience expectations when no one dies after foreshadowing the potential deaths of Raven, Cooper, and Rachel. Since serial killer thrillers like The Silence of the Lambs, Viewand also the unexpected blow of 2024 Long legs usually involve copious carnage, it’s a real surprise that Trap dodge this expectation. Shyamalan’s thriller may not be perfect, but Trap takes viewers by surprise.